Kal David & Miss Lauri Bono

2015 DamnGoodTunes Artist Of The Year

Photo by Tom Bombria

We don’t give away a lot of awards here at DGT. This is due to the fact that we talk to hundreds of artists every year and we try to remain un-biased even if we really dig someone’s work.  But each year a few are so outstanding that we just can’t ignore their contribution to music and to the arts. And for that reason, Kal David, with Miss Lauri Bono with their totally insane smash album, “Living The Dream” become our Top Artist(s) of the entire year! 

To say that Kal David is just a great Blues Guitarist would be a shame, although he is. But then again other Blues guitarists don’t even come close to the wide range of his styles, the colors on his palette if you will.  A short while after the fuzzy glow of the British Invasion had subsided a bit, and being a guitar player myself I immediately started listening to BB King, Muddy and one particular English fellow named John Mayall and his band, the Blues Breakers as I was seeking a higher meaning and more depth, feeling, and that elusive element known as “soul “.  The Blues Breakers were home to many great guitar players including Jimi Page and Eric Clapton and one very young and talented Kal David, who was with the band touring and making records for some three years.  Knowing that tidbit of history will make most reviewers pen a pretty convincing argument that Mr. David is indeed a fine and experienced Blues Guitarist, which as I said earlier –  he is. But they’d miss his depth and the mark by a mile!

Kal David is a singer. He is a true vocalist, a professional with way above average vocal chops to be called a Blues singer. Few of the known men and women in the Blues really have much of a great voice at all with certain exceptions. And if asked, they would probably never dispute that claim either. For example, the now very rich and famous icon of Blues-Pop, Sir Eric Clapton who came from the same school of knocks “across the pond “as most of the American Blues legends had done and had to fight his own long battle upward to stardom, but when you talk to people that you think should know their music, they just go on about the old days of Cream and Yardbirds with no talk of the great songs he wrote and sang and earned Grammys on. He too was passed over as a singer by the critics and the media but I’ve always disagreed with that nonsense. Same is true for Kal David, as when I talked to many of my Blues connections and they speak  about his guitar playing, saying how great he was on the guitar years back with little mention about his singing and original songs. Now though, I have re-discovered just what a total “all-around “musician he is and I feel he deserves all the same respect as Sir Eric is accustomed to. And I know that’s a big pill to swallow for some of you but it is this writers’ opinion that the world is about to wake up to a living legend of music, not just the Blues. And then, this is where the road starts to really divide and get interesting….

Miss Lauri Bono, music partner for many years to Mr. David is fully featured in this new record of theirs called “ Living The Dream “ and she is one of the most dynamic and amazing female vocalists I’ve heard in decades!  You know how it is, with all these reality Talent shows on TV these days, with  the seasonal new crop and even some old bloods who come on to compete with their trademark vocal “ gymnastics.  These are the girls who sing a hundred notes a measure just to show that they heard Aretha records and they have something to prove, never knowing that as in the guitar like Kal knows how to play, less is always more.  Lauri sings in a way that she can sound like soft velvet or turn on the gravel and guts – raising the old goose bumps on your arm and then, she pulls you right back into another soft passage of her angelic flute-like whispers of melody and you just say whoa…..and it’s like something spiritual just happened in front of the whole church-audience….yep, someone got saved! Now I don’t know a great deal about Miss Lauri and her own up-bringing or where she studied music but I know it is a gift. A gift that she has chosen to share with Kal David as they traverse the globe making records playing concerts, television shows and major VIP events.  Most acts that consist of two great singers will usually take turns in the spot light but rarely an act like Peaches and Herb, Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway, Barry Gibb and Barbara Streisand – all seventies legends I might add – comes along and makes music history together singing as a real duet. Music, at least Pop and Country music has for the most part missed this element of the male-female duets and the power of two to tell a story.  It worked well for Kenny and Dolly on “Islands In The Stream” and also Lionel and Diana with their “Endless Love “, but producers seem to focus differently these days on developing one icon at a time, one song of the week and one flavor of the month than to foster and market the passion and the power of a duet, as evidenced in this incredible new record by Kal David and Lauri Bono and released on Crytone Records.

We’ve been blessed with this(damngoodtunes.com) magazine because of all the amazing talent and rising stars we’ve been able to meet, interview and review. And there have been hundreds of talented bands and singer-songwriters!  There have been Blues artists who are really great at what they do and some of them were already major stars when we met them, and many were on their way to the top but not one of them were anywhere like or on the level of Kal David and Miss Lauri here on their brand new record, “ Living The Dream “ . There’s something so very special about the chemistry between the notes. You can’t just say “Oh Kal is the star here and write a review about him because they are a TEAM. And a team works synergistically toward the greater good of the total performance, the compete record. The members of the team don’t think they are better than the other; they co-exist because of and for each other. Perfect Harmony.

So we give this award whole-heartedly but not lightly. Kal David and Miss Lauri Bono are the  most deserving Artists of the year but if we gave awards for best male-female vocal performance, they would win that one too! Every track of Living The Dream is great and I’ve played it over and over for a month now in my car whenever I travel, so I don’t have a favorite because they are all, forgive the pun….damn good tunes !

Bruce J Maier

FOR MORE INFORMATION AND CD SALES PLEASE SEE
KALDAVID.COM 

CD also available on Crytone Records 

The Seventh Year of Damn Good Tunes.com

When I began this journey into the unknown of publishing a web-based music magazine there were no illusions or false expectations, just a vision and instinct  based on one simple philosophy – helping others.  I wasn’t this guy who had been president of the school newspaper or anything nor was I some kind of literary and grammar genius.  I just wanted to help musicians, and for the sake of purpose for the new readers who don’t know me / us at DGT, here is why:

The music industry is in a way like the eye of a needle, only enough room in the doorway of opportunity for a select few to enter, be promoted and  then to  become successful. That’s nothing new to  the art of music, dance, theater and art itself. There’s a lot of talent out there in the world, most would agree. But I saw it as  an  uneven challenge always leaning to favor the super-attractive, the more youthful and those with the most dollars behind them. With the way the world has been growing technologically there came some new advantages but not enough to break through the stigma of talent vs. looks and money and it all came down to one thing; promotion.

All songwriter-singers and bands no matter if they are Indie or signed to a major label need publicity, so we decided to level the  above-mentioned playing field by offering a new system that was not an exclusive club. It’s not closed to large, small, old, young,  black, white, red, brown people, grey haired, no hair, long-haired  – it’s open for everyone. Race, creed, political views and orientation have no meaning here at DGT and we  do not and will not ever spin a story that is based on bias or prejudice. We’ll let the big boys of publishing do that. All we want to do is write reviews and conduct interviews with deserving talent and keep it family friendly in the process.

Since 2007 we have been making friends all over the globe and  we have earned respect through simple guidelines and a shared philosophy among our writers. We have also partnered with some of the best other ” like ” industry leaders such as the Country Music Association, XO Publicity, Music Clout, Countrified Canada and as of most recent AudioSprout.com so that we might expand further and bring our readers more related news and information that they might not otherwise have seen. These affiliate partners provide content which  enhances our original features  and gives our fans and readers a great totally free web magazine experience. There are no fees or locked content – it’s all there for you to see and hear right there on your Pad, phone or computer.

This dream might never have come so far were it not for the efforts of my daughter Trinity, who heads up the art and design department and  doubles as a writer in many different areas of music. Then we have James Dean Fisher who has been with us for over five years bringing us the Indie Country music world the way that only a  Nashville Tennessee resident of near forty years could tell. James is joined by Linda Mewhirter, Randy Kamradt and Dr. Kenneth Love who are all outstanding people and extremely knowledgeable of the music industry. Last but not least, and perhaps our golden star is Lou Anne Michel, who has been bringing a smile to people all over the world with her exclusive Cartoon-Guitar characters in Guitar Nation and Fabulous Friends! We might have been a bit too determined and serious until our little guitar buddies came along, and they add something fun and  relaxing to the wonderful magazine we have become.

Yes, this article is laced with pride isn’t it? Yep, it’s been a great seven years and now damngoodtunes.com is on its way to becoming an internationally recognized brand known for truth and ethics and for being a real friend to musicians and songwriters  all over the planet. We didn’t buy our respect, we earned it. We didn’t buy our following with a SEO company, we couldn’t afford it so we built it ourselves through social networking and time-tested word-of-mouth. Imagine that !

Special thanks to all past contributors including Rocky Nelson,  Kris Edem,  Firelyn, Jessie Torrisi, Ms P, Linda Harboth and Kevin Limiti

Guitar Nation comic comes to DGT!

Bruce J Maier / CEO

Costs of doing ( Music ) business

JAMES DEAN FISHER
EDITOR, MUSIC CITY, NASHVILLE
http://www.damngoodtunes.com
Universal Sound Recording Artist

James Dean

 
The music business is in a dramatic change mode and the economy is still making things very difficult for the industry. The price of fuel, food and equipment is still very unstable. The music venues are suffering from low attendance due to the price of the tickets and the cost of the travel to and from the concerts. Therefore, the clubs and the live music venues can’t afford to pay a live band what it needs to make ends meet and worth their time. This seems to be the ongoing status of the music world of today. Will it get better……um umum?
About this time some of our nonmusical readers are wondering where this writer is going with this, so, for them and the benefit of the young and upcoming artist today, is crucial that they know about managing his or her business, and that means their music business. This consists of not only writing songs, recording songs as well as selling their products, it also means managing their transportation, payroll, and overall cost of being a recording artist/ entertainer. They recording artist IS the business and the business consists of the aforementioned aspects that come with owning and operating a business.
Basically what prompted this writer to write this article was a young upcoming artist I met and was talking with at an event in Nashville called,” The Producers Chair.” This young artist has a record deal and is preparing for a radio and concert tour coming up in 2013. He wanted to know why it costs so much to rent or buy an entertainer Coach and he asked me if I had ever rented are owned an entertainer bus. I told this young man that I have actually owned four entertainer coaches over the years I have been in the entertainment business. At one time I owned three coaches, Two of which were rented out and the other coach, a series 10 Eagle, was my private coach and I still own this coach today.
I told this young man if he had a few minutes I would brief him on the cost and operation from entertainer Coach, so we set down at a table and I explained to this young artist that before he goes out and attempts to purchase an entertainer Coach he should know that this will be one of the major purchases in his business. He must obtain a well maintained coach and that the cost would be usually anywhere from a mid-five figure all the way up to a high six-figure and along with coach there would be mandatory insurance coverage as well as a commercial entertainer Coach driver. The cost of the driver is negotiable; however, the driver’s safety record, MVR and work history is ultimately important.
I told this young recording artist he should be sure that his artist management has him working and generating enough income to sustain the cost of his employees(roadies, musicians, and his driver) as well as the cost of fuel, average $3.85 per gallon, bus payments and maintenance on the coach. This artist asked me how much it cost me to run my bus and I told him approximately $1.50 per mile and that only covered the coach insurance and maintenance and fuel due to the fact that I have my own private driver and I also drive the bus sometimes. I told his young man that if he had to pay bus payments, insurance and keep the maintenance done and pay a driver, the cost per mile(C.P.M.) would most likely double to #3.00 or more. Therefore, if the concert or venue he would be playing is 700 miles away, his cost for transportation alone would be in the area of $2100 plus paying himself and his employees.
Was this young artist surprised? To say the least, he was utterly shocked! We talked about the time and the work necessary to get prepared for the road and the venues on the tour. I told him there would lodging and food and other expenses that come up unexpectedly and he and his management must be prepared to handle this sort of things on a regular basis.
As a general rule, most up and coming artist are not financially able to go out and purchase an expensive Prevost or a fancy MCI, however, there other options available to the new artist, such as a good used late-model large van such as a Dodge or a Freightliner or maybe a heavy-duty long wheelbase Ford. For a small group, the long wheelbase van will accommodate the artist needs for transportation that will carry the equipment for a three, four piece band. Years ago, when I first got started in the business, I pulled a 12 foot trailer behind a Pontiac Bonneville and it did a great job. Speed, snow and ice as well as the wind is detrimental to the safety when pulling a trailer, but, it can be done until finances and artist revenues get to the point where they are financially able to buy a bus.On a comical note, but from a real-life experience, I was forced , more or less, to purchase a bus after about four years in the music business. I had a band while living in Fort Worth Texas called, The Music Machine. This band consists of myself, as the artist, and four other musicians. The booking agency in Texas, called Joan Frank productions, located in Dallas Texas was booking me at the time. We were playing clubs as well as outdoor promotion shows all over the great state of Texas. As it were, we were booked for two nights in Ennis, Texas, a club about 40 miles south of Dallas. The usual club hours for the band was 9 P M until 2 A M and since we were a regular band having played the club several times, we were well accepted and the people loved us, therefore, the owner loved us.

Unfortunately I had to replace a lead guitar player even though I, myself, played lead guitar and did most of the vocals, I usually had a lead man in the band. The new guitar player stated that he knew where this club was located and that he would drive his own vehicle and meet us at the club around 8:30 for sound check and be ready to play at 9 PM. 9 PM came along and NO guitar player insight! I took the stage along with the other three musicians and played our first hour set and back those days, there were no cell phones, so this guitar player had no way to inform me. At 11:30 PM, 2 1/2 sets late, the lead guitar player shows up! This guy comes on stage, plays the rest of the set and the band took the third break. Needless to say, the club owner was rather unhappy and I was very pissed, so I ask the guitar player where the hell he had been and he states LOST! He said that he did not know North from South, East from West and that he had turned left on I 35 instead of right, unfortunately winding up in Dallas, Texas! When the show was over a called the guys together and told them all and IN an affirmative fashion that there would be no more, one more time for this to happen. Since we were very well accepted at this particular club, the club owner was generous enough not to dock the pay, however, he made it very clear that if this happened again we would not play his venue again. With the circumstances as they prevailed, I told the guys that in the future all musicians would meet at a designated location in Fort Worth, Texas and that anyone that did not show up would not have a job working for me! All musicians and equipment would be ready to move out at a designated time and would travel to the venue to be played together. I BOUGHT A BUS! I went out and bought a used 35 foot Brill! I bought my first entertainer bus and I have owned buses from that day until now. Just a note for laughter, no musician has gotten lost winding up in Dallas, Texas anymore.
Over the years that this writer has been in the entertainment business as an artist and a business owner, I have seen many young artists just getting started, having no experience and no one to help and lead and or, maybe teach them the ropes that they must learn. Learning how to start your music business is certainly not easy and without some professional help or at the very least, someone who has been in the music business long enough and successful enough to give them good advice about the”Do’s” and “don’t’s”, the up and coming new artist can fail, therefore, losing it all. I have seen that too many times and it can happen to YOU!
As a new artist, get your finances in order, as well as your personal life and your music business. Make certain that you make your music career a business, therefore, operate and treat your business as a real business. Get all of your expenditures, agreements, contracts in writing and write a receipt and keep a copy for everything you spend your hard-earned money on. Keeping your profit and loss(P&L’s), expenditures and payroll receipts will keep the IRS from banging on your door…………. And they will come calling if you fail to handle your business properly.
As an artist, I have traveled one and a half times around the world and played almost all 50 states in this great, beautiful United States of America. Did I get rich?……….. NO I did not, but, I have survived the ups and downs of the music business as an entertainer and writer/journalist for many years, investing in real estate when the times were good, therefore, with hard work and by the grace of God, I have survived and I am still doing what God put me on this Earth to do…… Entertain people and playing music and writing about it!
With Christmas just around the corner and everyone looking forward to the wonderful times, great food, visiting with friends and relatives and family, may God bless and keep all of you!
We, here@damngoodtunes.com love you, all of our readers and fans and we are looking forward to a great year, 2013! So please, if you love our magazine, go out and tell all your friends about us. We will try with all sincerity, to keep our readers entertained and educated and keep this magazine ALL ABOUT THE MUSIC!
James Dean(Fisher)
Editor, Music City, Nashville
http://www.damngoodtunes.com
Universal Sound Recording Artist
Hear and buy James’ new record:“BLUESMAN” on CD baby, ITunes, Amazon and all places where great music is sold!

 

 

ROCK IT – David Shriver Tribute is now Launched!

Full speed ahead! That’s what Bruce Maier and his dedicated team are saying now that phase 2 of the Kickstarter.com fundraising campaign has launched as of Monday. There is a brand new introduction video in place which will give the potential donors much more of the information and even a sneak peek at David’s live performance on the Ed Sullivan Show, along with a clip of actor-musician and author Mickey Jones who Maier recruited to play drums on the soundtrack for the film. Mickey was seated in the control room of the recording studio hearing back the song Rock It for the very first time when he is captured on  camera offering an emotional response.

This is a worthy project and there is an inspirational message of hope for anyone who loves music and has considered putting all their faith in the Dream of making it in music.

David Shriver and Mickey Jones along with their band-leader Trini Lopez sold millions of records and played the most important shows and broadcast in the world . But all this fame would come just a few years after David’s first time becoming famous as the electric Bass player for Rock icon Eddie Cochran. Cochran will killed in a tragic car crash in England, leaving behind millions of saddened fans and a young David Shriver asking the question of what would be next. After a stint with the Kelly Four, David was at the famed PJ’s in Hollywood when he meets with Lopez and Jones who were just then needing a good Bass player. The rest is an amazing history which includes moving from Malibu and buying a  farm in Washington state, joining with Northwest music legend Clayton Watson and performing in symphonies and Big Bands! David Shriver as the song says,  ” lived his life with passion ! ”

In order to tell this story in Rock It, we need your help. Please go to our Kickstarter page and watch the video and read the details. Rock It!

See The Video Here

Learn The Basics with Linda Harborth

Linda harborth - Contributing Journalist

Just like anything else in life – learn the basics. Practice what you learn. This is your foundation. Learn song structure. Join organizations like NSAI and local groups. Reach out and find a mentor or two. Learn to network. Take songwriting courses and buy foundation books. You need a library of inspiration to fall back on from time to time. I also like biography books about musicians. There are hidden gems in them. Find your groove….be it an emotion, a fabulous song or a thought in your head. Write it down before it flies away. Have a working file of all of these. Find a time every day to sit down and write. There will be times when nothing happens – so be it. It’s the effort made everyday. Write, write, write. Then put it away – let it simmer – then re-look with fresh eyes. Some of my work has taken years before it was ready to be recorded. Don’t rush – let the work tell you when it’s ready. Build a catalog of your work. Be part of the world. Become a people watcher. Try new things. Listen to the radio. Find out why you love certain songs and hate others. Use that song as your inspiration – to figure out how you can change the lyrics/music to be yours. Listen more and talk less. Listen to what others suggest – give it a try – but if it’s not working for you, listen to your inner you. Learn what makes “you” tick. Spend time alone. Always have a recorder or pen and paper with you. Don’t ever think you know everything about this craft. It’s a life time adventure. Writing is my therapy. It’s a love/hate relationship. This is probably the hardest field to choose. You will have many more negative comments or worse yet – no comments than successes. Learn to live with it and go on. There are some really flaky people in this field. Take time to decompress, eat right, get enough sleep and don’t be too hard on yourself. Give yourself time. Time to think, understand and sometimes just “be”. You are a work in progress. Find your balance, Complacency or stress will both kill your spirit. Strive for excellence but accept your failures. Learn from your failures. I need to have a goal. It helps me stay focused. There’s a saying, “You don’t learn from your successes. You learn from your failures.” Find out what you love and are good at and hire/find the best of the rest. Above all, remember the golden rule – treat others the way you would like to be treated yourself.

Contact Linda: lsharborth@gmail.com

ARTIST OF THE YEAR 2011

Dario Plevnik
Artist of The Year

When we first heard about Croatian musician and composer Dario Plevnik back in 2009 we were taken by his beautiful melodies as we are still today. But there would come to be much more to the story of Dario that would not appear here in our publication until now.

It would be difficult for most of us to understand, let alone to tell about the part of the world where Dario and his music comes from. Many of us are too young to even remember the Bosnian war and most of us have never seen a war happen in our homeland as Dario Plevnik has seen and even felt the pain of imprisonment with members of his family and of his town.

What shapes us as human beings? What makes us who we are as artists and musicians? What is it about our surroundings and environment that gives us “soul” that others feel when we play an instrument? There are a multitude of answers to these questions but for Dario it was all of this and more. This man has great pride in Croatia and there is nowhere else he’d rather be than there in the home that he built with his own hands and with his beautiful wife, Darija. She, their daughter, his family, friends, his home and his country are what inspires him to play music and to write from his heart about what he feels and what he thinks. To have come from a war-torn country and to see it blossom back into the Eden that it is today is a miracle and an epic of survival. For a writer of music or a teller of tales, there is something compelling about the events of the world and of mankind’s evolution through war and peace and his continuous search for spiritual perfection. Dario Plevnik has managed to blend and forge all of that history of the past and to merge it with the glory of the present – into some of the most beautiful music I have ever heard.

This writer has had the privilege of knowing thousands of musicians and artists in my lifetime, and a great number of them have come from this publication. Usually time is premium and there is only so much we can do and so many to serve that we do not have the luxury of flying all over the world and having the pleasure of meeting these artists in person who live in countries outside the USA. With Dario Plevnik I knew form the start there was an amazing journey about to unfold, and that would be that he and his wife would become important friends, more like family to me. We have sent so many e-mails back and forth over the past couple years that we know much about each other. And, thank goodness for the internet and Skype, we have been able to visit face-to-face! I have been on a virtual tour of Dario’s home, the home that he rebuilt a few years ago with the help of his wife and closest friends and family. It is a lovely home with large exposed wooden beams, chandeliers that he made himself and many other masterful touches. His studio at home is his domain – the place where he spends many long hours creating, recording and editing. Dario has become a great producer and engineer besides being an incredible musician and I am sure that many people would pay great sums of money to sit with Dario and have him produce their music. Right now though, Dario’s own compositions are being noticed all over the world and it is only a matter of time before his hard work will pay off in a big way.

We have never had an Artist Of The year before and the criteria was not limited to having a CD ready to go and being retail ready. This person must possess humility and grace and is someone who cares about the planet, it’s people and his family. In other words, we were seeking someone who would be a good neighbor and friend, yet someone who has it in his heart to share his art with anyone who will listen and not just so he can be paid to perform. Someone who is driven to the degree that there is nothing else he would rather do than to make music. This is not a hobbyist, this is a true professional artist. And for Dario Plevnik, the music does not come because there is a deadline to meet. He does not work at a song factory. True inspiration comes to him perhaps divinely and he acts upon that inspiration and creates intricate and memorable melodies.

His latest album is called Croatian Waters and it will be released within a few weeks on the Reve Records label of Las Vegas Nevada. There have been some discussions for Dario to make a world tour, beginning in North America primarily on the college and University levels where people are starving to know more about the music, art and cultures of other lands. He would be happy to do so but has admitted that he loves his family so much and his country so dearly that he would not want to be away for too long, Who could blame him?

Dario’s songs evoke pictures in one’s mind of grassy fields, pure stream waters and gentle lakes, farms, blues skies and a happy and proud Croatia that has healed from it’s wounds and has chosen to live life to the fullest. The ten tracks on the album really took me on a journey I must say, because they were so easy on the ears and free of clutter. Recorded only with a classical guitar and drums, no Bass, keys or over-processing, the music pulls you in and within three seconds you feel that nothing is missing at all. In fact, the melody of each song finds its way to your mind, flowing directly into your heart. A wonderful artist with so much love in every note he plays. A true master, a sweet man and a keeper of the dream, Dario Plevnik is a one of a kind musician and a most deserving Artist of The Year!

Bruce Maier

Been a while but here’s why

Dear readers and folowers of Damn Good Tunes(.com);

We are very much still in business but have been working with a reduced crew and a full load of publishing of articles and interviews. In my personal life someone very dear to me and my family was taken ill one month ago and is now making a full recovery, so we are moving forward once again.
This has been an incredible summer season which has been filled with tragedy and pain for many with the storms and the spring floods and don’t forget the devastating Japan earthquake. Many people are still trying to get back on their feet. Heck, the folks from hurricane Katrina haven’t fully done that even yet so it’s hard for people. Very hard. Still, the music, the ” show must go on ” and go on it has. There’s a lot of great music happening around the world and much of it is coming from the USA despite our failing economy and tired old politicians whose actions and the trickle-down effect on Wall Street affects everyone. Musicians already had a hard enough time just trying to survive, let alone to secure financing for their equipment. Guitars, amps, drums and keyboards and PA systems are as vital as a carpenter’s box of power tools. You have to have them so you can make the music. So we’re all feeling it. Oh yes, just in case
you don’t know, this publisher wasn’t born with a silver spoon so I’m still a working musician out there hitting the gigs like the rest of you. No ivory towers on the DGT account!
As we all head into the Fall which is coming up on us like a solar storm, let’s try and keep our wits about us and do the right things and be real good at what we love to do. Myself, I would be happy to entertain anyone who will listen. It’s just a lot better when we’re professionally acknowledged and compensated.
Whatever you’ve been through wherever you are sitting and reading this, just know that DGT is on your side. We feel you, we know. Our prayers and good thoughts continue on for those of you who lost so much these past months. Take care.

BJM
Publisher

Charlie Louvin

Charlie Louvin's 2010 CD release

Unfortunately cancer has taken it’s toll on Country music legend Charlie Louvin. But he did give the devil a good run for his money and fought the good fight. Charlie Louvin and his brother Ira rode the top of the charts and hit number one in 1955. Ira lost his life ten years later in an auto accident, but Charlie, in unfailing memory of his brother Ira, pressed on for decades to bring the fans the great music that he and his brother had created. Please see our tribute today in damngoodtunes.com

Tales In The Honky-Tonks……

Tales In The Honky-Tonks of Music City, Nashville Tennessee
By James Dean Fisher
November, 2010
Music City USA is a large southern city sitting in the middle of the country where a large percentage of the music recorded for radio and television is created and marketed. Many of the “hits” heard on the radio is and has been recorded in Nashville, Tennessee. The entertainment and recording industries work hand in hand with the writers, engineers and producers and musicians to get the songs and music recorded and out to the public. GAC and many other outlets play the songs for the music listing audience and music sales. This part of the music scene in Music City is the talk of many listeners and music buyers, yet, many of them never see how the music is recorded or where and know little about how it gets to the buying public. Music City is the heart of the industry but it is also the home of thousands of musicians that work in the industry and the road. They consist of singers, pickers, writers, roadies and engineers, producers and people that sell the products and sell tickets. Nashville is a melting pot for the mix that make up the music industry and the entertainment community called “Music City.”
( Read the rest of Jame’s story in damngoodtunes.com today! )

Backfire Band on the DGT!

Backfire Band Interview now online at our web magazine!
Hello everyone and thanks for stopping by! Our lady Firelyn is back after a little vacation…well I guess that’s not what a kidney transplant is now is it? Yes she was actually not well for a long time and was unable to concentrate on the writing for a while as you might imagine. However, Not only has Firelyn just completed and awesome interview and review of one the the Northwest’s premiere new bands, Backfire Band, but in between April 19th and now she has also earned her Washington state Real Estate License, gone back to college full time, and…. found time to go out and meet and listen to bands all over the place! We’re happy that Firelyn has returned and with this super great interview under her belt she seems determined to take on the world! We are happy to have her back and most pleased with this fine article she published tonight in the DGT.